West Texas Explosion Update

In the massive explosion in a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas Wednesday, up to 15 people are feared dead with more than 160 injured. The death toll remains uncertain, but officials say 8 to 10 bodies had been recovered in the areas around the plant.

Dallas Fire-Rescue Captain Kenny Harris has been confirmed dead. Waco Police Sergeant William Patrick Swanton said searchers “have not gotten to the point of no return where they don’t think that there’s anybody still alive.” He did not have information on the number of people rescued. Swanton said there was no indication that the explosion was anything more than an industrial accident.

A four-block area around the plant was affected. Seventy-five homes were badly damaged or destroyed, along with a 50-unit apartment complex, a middle school, and a nursing home.